Foundation

Foundation Programme

The Foundation Programme is a two-year training programme that forms the bridge between medical school and Specialty/General Practice training.

All graduates of UK medicals schools are required to complete the Foundation Programme before applying for Specialty training. During the Foundation Programme, you will have the opportunity to gain experience in a series of placements in a variety of specialties and healthcare settings.

Foundation Year 1

The first year of the Foundation Programme builds upon the knowledge, skills and competences acquired in undergraduate training.

Training also encompasses the generic professional skills applicable to all areas of medicine – teamwork, time management, communication and IT skills.

Foundation Year 2

The second year Foundation Programme builds on the first year of training. The focus is on training in the assessment and management of the acutely ill patient.

Training also encompasses the generic professional skills applicable to all areas of medicine – teamwork, time management, communication and IT skills.

Teaching Programme

Teaching takes place weekly on both sites on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, starting at 1:15pm (F1) and 2:30pm (F2)(unless otherwise stated).

Sessions are connected by videoconference to the corresponding site. The Tuesday session is conducted at St Richard’s and videoconference connected to Worthing. The Wednesday session is conducted at Worthing and videoconference connected to St. Richard’s.

On the weeks without a lecture you will be expected to use this time for educational purposes.

Assessments

Your programme is competency based. You will be assessed on Supervised Learning Events and on HORUS ePortfolio engagement; core Procedures; TAB; End of Placement reports and the End of Year report etc. It is your responsibility to engage the assessment process in accordance with your HORUS ePortfolio guidance.

We recommend that you evenly distribute your assessments across the year. All assessments are recorded online.

Clinical Supervisor feedback during each placement will be fed back to your Educational Supervisor and the Local Faculty Group.

An updated checklist advising you of outstanding assessments will be sent to you towards the end of each rotation.

ePortfolio

This is a key aspect of your learning during your foundation years. This is an essential and mandatory requirement as it provides an audit of your progress and learning.

ARCP

The Foundation School requires you to complete and submit all assessments and relevant information by the end of May 2018 to ensure your completion of year. All induction & end of placement meetings and supervisor reports must be completed; PDPs updated regularly; all declarations and agreements signed; teaching attended and all evidence and documents linked on HORUS.

The ARCP panel members will review your submitted evidence and award you with the appropriate outcome. Any evidence not submitted by the deadline will result an automatic ‘unsatisfactory outcome’ due to insufficient outcome.

In the event that you receive an unsatisfactory outcome you will be invited to attend an interview to discuss the reason and an extension for completion will be agreed.

In the event of a trainee failing to complete any part of the foundation year they will be referred to the South Thames Foundation School to have their case reviewed.

Appeals Process

If you wish to appeal against any decisions made by the local faculty or the ARCP panel please discuss this with your Foundation Lead who will be able to advise you.

Annual Appraisal

The arrangements for annual appraisal are an ongoing process with your Educational Supervisor. At the start of your year you must complete the Learning Agreement with your Supervisor, detailing a PDP. You will also be expected to complete the Educational Agreement on HORUS.

Feedback

You can expect to receive detailed feedback on your progress from your Educational and Clinical Supervisors. This will happen during your review meetings with your Educational Supervisor. You should have a clear idea of your progress in the programme at any given time and what you have to do to move to the next stage.

Induction, handover & consent

Inductions will be undertaken by the Foundation Programme and the Specialty Departments.

The Foundation Programme induction includes a welcome session with the Programme Leads and Foundation Team. The Foundation Programme is explained during this meeting and includes details on audits, e-learning, teaching attendance, completion of assessments and the review of transfer of information.

The policy for handover to ensure patient care is speciality Specific and is included in the specialty handbooks.

The Trust policy for taking consent can be viewed on the Trust intranet (only accessible on hospital computers). All foundation doctors are required to sign a ‘Consent and Prescribing’ contract for the trust at your first meeting with your Educational Supervisor.

Your role as a learner

You are responsible for your own learning within the programme with the support of Medical Education team. You should ensure that you have regular meetings with your supervisors, that you maintain your HORUS ePortfolio, keep up to date with your required assessments and attend mandatory teaching to ensure ARCP sign-off.

How will you learn in this programme?

In this programme we adopt a variety of learning approaches. These include web-based; CBDs; ward based clinical teaching; exposure to outpatients and theatres at the appropriately identified level; group learning; private study; courses; reflective practice; audit projects; and regular foundation teaching, which is specialty and multi-specialty focused.

A copy of the mandatory foundation teaching programme will be given to you at Induction. If any changes occur to the programme you will be sent an update.

Trainee Representatives

As a Trainee Rep you would be expected to contact your year group for feedback and collate a brief report before the Local Faculty Group meetings and you will be expected attend the meetings to discuss your report.

There will be a Trainee Reps’ workshop early on in the year for those taking on the role.

Junior Doctor Forums

Three times a year the PGME runs an informal Junior Doctor Forum. The purpose of this is to allow you to voice your opinions regarding WSHFT.

The forum has been designed to allow for the honest discussion and dialogue of your views, this means that senior clinicians will not be present unless invited to respond to queries you have raised.

Educational Supervision

The HEKSS refined definition of ‘Educational Supervision’ is:

“A trainer who is selected and appropriately trained to be responsible for the overall supervision and management of a specific trainee’s educational progress during a training placement or series of placements. The Educational Supervisor is responsible for the trainee’s Educational Agreement.”

Your Educational Supervisor – roles & responsibilities

Your Educational Supervisor is responsible for overseeing your training and helping you to make the necessary clinical and educational progress. You should meet with your Educational Supervisor at the beginning and end of each rotation.

Clinical Supervision

The HEKSS refined definition of ‘Clinical Supervision’ is:

“A trainer who is selected and appropriately trained to be responsible for the overseeing a specified trainee’s clinical work and providing constructive feedback during the training placement.”

Your Clinical Supervisor – roles & responsibilities

You will have a named Clinical Supervisor for each placement who is responsible supervising for your day to day clinical progress within each placement. You should meet with your Clinical Supervisor at the beginning and end of each rotation.

The Foundation Programme Structure

The programme will include ward based learning; a weekly half day of interactive structured teaching; hospital based study days, for Example: induction, ALERT, PLS, Simulation Training; clinical audit and exposure to academic opportunities. The programme is structured to comply with the ‘GMC Standards’.

How to complete the Foundation Curriculum

The Foundation Curriculum is competency based and leads to attainment of F1 and F2 standards. Satisfactory completion of Competencies; meetings with your Educational Supervisor and Clinical Supervisors; all mandatory assessments and satisfactory attendance at teaching will result in your successful completion of the foundation years.

Support will be provided by the Foundation Programme Leads, an allocated Educational Supervisor and 3 allocated Clinical Supervisors.

The aims and objectives of the curriculum

The goal at the end of the two years is to “imbue trainees with basic practical skills and competencies to take forward into their speciality training”.

Key areas, all of which should be patient focused, include:

Clinical Skills

Team Working

Professionalism

Time Management

Take responsibility for your own learning and career development

Foundation Curriculum

The local programme is mapped to the Foundation national curriculum.

Core competencies are linked to the generic teaching programme and clinical attachments. The Foundation Curriculum includes opportunities for you to work with other health care professionals such as Practice Staff in GP Practices, Occupational Therapists, Case Workers in Psychiatry, Radiographers, Midwives, District and Community Nurses, Social Workers Coroners, Patient Liaison Groups and more!

GMC Ethical Guidelines

Less Than Full Time training

If you are considering applying for flexible training you will need to contact HEKSS directly. They will be able to advise you of the process of application and provide you with the necessary paperwork, that must be authorised by HR and a Foundation Lead.

If you decide to enter flexible training you will be appointed a post through formal interview process in open competition, as you would for a full time post.

This process will extend your current foundation year training period and you will only successfully complete once all mandatory requirements set by STFS have been completed and signed off by the ARCP panel.

Annual Leave

Applications for annual leave must be made through your leave co-ordinator in the speciality you will be working during the period of leave. A form will need to be completed and approved by the consultant and leave co-ordinator which will then need by authorised by HR.

Six weeks notice is generally required for a request and any nights affected will need to be covered by swapping. Each speciality will have its local arrangements regarding numbers allowed on leave at any one time.

F1 Annual leave entitlement

As an F1 you can take 27 days annual leave over the year. However, you must take no more than 9 days per placement. Orthopaedics insist that that you take no more than 7 days leave.

F2 Annual leave entitlement

As an F2 you can take 27 days annual leave over the year. However, you must take no more than 9 days per placement.

Study Leave

F2s can apply for study leave by completing a study leave request form. The form will need to be submitted in advance for approval by your Educational Supervisor and Foundation Lead.

Consent will need to be obtained from your firm to ensure appropriate cover arrangements are made; 6 weeks notice is usually required.

F1 Study leave entitlement

As an F1 you will not be entitled to study leave. You can ‘borrow’ up to 5 days of study leave from your F2 year to attend a taster in a specialty of interest to you during the last 6 months of the F1 year.

F2 Study leave entitlement

As an F2 you are entitled to 15 days of study leave over the year. A minimum six weeks notice is required.

Trainee Support Scheme (TSS)

If your Educational Supervisor feels you could benefit from additional support they will refer you to the LFG to record that you may need some support. This will ensure that you are closely monitored and offered the support mechanisms outlined in the TSS pages issued by HEKSS.

What if I need help?

Your Educational Supervisor, Foundation Manager or the Foundation Leads will be happy to help you with any issues or concerns you may have.

Information about Trust policies, including: Grievance; Bullying & Harassment and Equal Opportunities can be found on StaffNet.

Career Support

Careers sessions throughout the year will be incorporated into your teaching programme.

Job Description

Job descriptions will have been issued to you with your contract of employment and individual placement descriptions, which can be found on the STFS website.

Prescribing Chemotherapy & Immunosuppressant drugs

As a Foundation Doctor you cannot prescribe any chemotherapy drug or immunosuppressant for ANY indication including non-cancer conditions (e.g. methotrexate for rheumatoid arthritis). This includes the transposing of detail onto new drug charts. Please refer to a SpR if you are unsure.

The Foundation School

The South Thames Foundation School was established in 2007 as a collaboration between the Kent Surrey & Sussex and London Postgraduate Deaneries and King’s College, St George’s University and Brighton & Sussex Medical Schools.

The school manages all Foundation trainees in NHS Trusts in the South London and Kent Surrey & Sussex regions and is based at 3 offices: London Bridge, Tooting and Brighton.

The Foundation Office

The Foundation Programme Office will tell you all you need to know about the Foundation Programme; what to expect during your training; how assessments work and what resources are available to help you decide on your future career.

The website contains a great deal of information and resources including the Foundation Programme Resource.

Curriculum Development

As a Postgraduate Doctor you are entitled to a voice in the implementation of national curricula and can actively contribute to its development at local and national levels. If there are any changes to your curriculum regulations and requirement during your training we will update you as appropriate.

Faculty Educational Support

HEKSS offers a range of educational support programmes.
To find out more please visit their website.